Floor surfacing machine having handle movable to upright storage position



March 1', 1960 2,926,369

W. E. HOLT FLOOR SURFACING MACHINE HAVING HANDLE MOVABLE T0 UPRIGHT STORAGE POSITION Filed July 19, 1954 INVENTOR ATTORNEY FLOOR SURFACING MACHINE HAVING HANDLE MOVABLE T UPRIGHT STORAGE POSITION William Ernest Holt,.0 akland, Calif. Application July 19, 1954, Serial No. 443,989 Claims. or. 15-49 nited States Patent" ment, such as a circular wire or fiber brush. The surfacwardly at the rear of the housing and carries grip and switch members, through which the operator can control the machine movement over the floor and operation of the motor and rotary surfacing element.

The machine handle is usually rigidly mounted in the housing so as to extend at a predetermined angle for operation. In such cases the machine is usually transported when not in operation on a pair of supporting wheels carried on an axle bracket which is pivotally mounted on the housing at the rear of the rotary surfacing element and which can be swung upwardly by the operator to an inoperative position when the machine is to be-used. Machines with such rigidly mounted handles require a considerable amount; of space for storage, while the described pivoted supporting wheel arrangement requires the operator to stoop to move the wheels into and out of the desired transportation position. The wheels are also likely to flip up when moving the machine up and down stairs and cause the housing to hit against the stairs or floor. c

In accordance with the present invention, floor maintenance machines of the character described are provided with an improved supporting wheel and handle construction which facilitates transport of the machine to and from its desired point of use, and permits the handle to be readily shifted between a substantially upright storage position and an inclined operating position, and locked in those positions or in any intermediate position.

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this application. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to theaccompany'ing drawings and descriptive matter in which I have described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Of the drawings: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a floor maintenance machine constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the machine with the rear portion of the housing cut away, showing the parts in the storage position and the brush removed;

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the parts shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 2, with the handle in an operating position;

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Fig. 5 is a plan view of the toe latch handle release mechanism; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the handle clamping assembly.

The floor maintenance machine illustrated includes a metal housing 10 having a substantially cylindrical top section 11 enclosing an electric motorf (not shown) and an enlarged base section 12 surrounding the upper portion of a removable rotary-surfacing element, such as a rotary brush 13 arranged to rotate about a vertical axis with the lower ends of the brush bristles in contact with the floor.

The rear portion of the housing base section 12 has a rearwardly tapering integral rigid extension 14 having a pair of external integral bosses 15 on opposite sides of lower rearmost portion thereof and through which the ends of an axle 16 project. A pair of machine supporting wheels 17 are rotatably mounted on the opposite ends of the axle 16, the wheels being so proportioned that they will be slightly spaced from the floor when the brush 13 is in. contact therewith, as indicated in Fig. 1.

A hollow handle 20 is provided through which an electric power cable 22 from a switch box 23 on the upper end of 'the handle leads to a motor power connection 24 mounted on the housing section 11. Hand grips 25 extending from opposite sides of the switch box 23 permit the operator to direct the machine over the floor as desired; The'lower end of "the handle extends through an elongated sl0t-26 in the curved rear end portion of the housing extension and isrigidly connected. to the stub 27 of a T-shaped member 28 rotatably mounted in and extending between a pair of aligned internal bosses 29 on the housing extension 14, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the handle can be moved about a horizontal axis parallel to the axle 16.

The housing slot 26 is proportioned in size with respect to the axis of rotation of the handle 20 to permit the handle to be moved between an upper substantially upright storage or stowaway position and a lower minimum angle operating position. A handle clamp assembly includes a link member 30 having its lower end pivotally mounted on the axle 16 and extending upwardly through the slot 26 at the rear of the handle 20. A split handleencircling collar 32 is arranged with projecting ends 31 at opposite sides of the upper end of the link member 30. The collar ends have aligned holes therein, one of which is threaded. An adjusting knob 33 on one end of a partly threaded shouldered bolt 34, which extends through one collar end 31 and link member 30 into threaded engagement with the other collar end, is adjustable to clamp the handle in any angular position between its limits of movement.

The handle 20 can also be releasably locked in either of its limit positions'by a toe latch mechanism capable of being actuated by the operators foot. As shown in Figs. 25, a latch member 36, having a lower horizontal leg 37 and an upper leg 38 inclined at an obtuse angle thereto, is pivotally mounted on the axle 16 adjacent the path of travel of the handle 20. The axle 16 extends through a hole 39 in a thickened portion 40 ofthe latch member near the lower end of the leg 38, the legs being proportioned and the pivot point arranged so that the latch member tends to assume-a position with its horizontal leg in contact with the bottom edge of the housing 12, as indicated in Fig. 2. The upper leg 38 terminates in an inclined surface 41 which is arranged to have an angular tangential contact with the circumferential surface of a short pin or bar member 43 of circular cross-section projecting from one side of the handle stub 27 parallel to the axle 16 and axis of rotation of member 28, when the handle is in its storage position. The upper surface of the latch leg 38 is cut away to form a tapered center ridge 45 intermediate its length and separating parallel pockets 46. A U-shaped leaf spring 48 having one end formed into a pair of outwardly bent prongs 49 is positioned in the space between the rear wall of the hous ng 12 and the latch leg 38, with the end prongs 49 fitting into the pockets 46 at opposite sides of the ridge 45, as shown in Fig. 5. With this arrangement, the spring 48 tends to resist any rearward movement of the latch leg 38 and thus tends to maintain the latch memberend in contact with the handle pin 43 when the handle is in its substantially vertical storage position shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

When only movement of the handle between its limit positions is desired-the knob 33 is first turned to loosen the clamp assembly and leave the handle free to move relative thereto. The latch member leg 38 has a curved recess 50 formed in the lower surface and one side thereof which is arranged to receive and hold the pin 43 when the latch member is pressed down by the foot of the operator against the action of the leaf spring 48 to move the end of the latch member out of abutting contact with the pin 43 and the handle 20 is moved rearwardly to its-minimum angle operating position shown in Fig. 4. The pressure of the spring 48 on the latch leg and pin 43 tends to hold the handle in its minimum angle operating position. When it is desired to move the handle to its storage position, the operator may step on the latch leg 37 if necessary to move the latch member sufficiently to release the pin from the recess 50 and then move the handle forwardly to its storage position.

If it should be desired to use the machine with the handle 20 in an angular operating position intermediate the limit positions shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the toe latch member is actuated to release the handle from the limit position in which it may then be and the handle moved to the desired intermediate position. The knob 33 is then turned by the operator to tighten the collar 32 about the handle 20 and hold the handle in this intermediate position against the action of the spring'48.

The described construction of the han-dle'and associated parts provides a simple and effective mechanism for holding the handle in either its lower limit operating position or a substantially vertical storage position, while aifording means for clamping the handle in any position therebetween. The fixed position wheels require only tilting of the machinefor transport to the working site.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes I have illustrated and described herein the best form of the invention now known to me, those skilled in the art will understand that changes maybe made in the form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention covered by my claims, and that certain features of the invention may sometimes be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

What is claimed is:

1. In a floor surfacing machine comprising a housing enclosing a rotary 'floor surfacing element, an axle fixedly mounted on the rear of said housing, a pair of supporting wheels mounted on said axle, a machine operating handle, means for pivotally'connecting said handle to said housing forwardly of said axle for movement about ahorizontal axis parallel to said axle, a bar member on said handle extending parallel tosaid axle, and apivotally mounted latch member laterally offset from the plane of movement of said handle and having its forward end arranged to abut said bar member in a substantially-upright forward storage position of said handleand a recessed portion in its lower surface arranged to receive and lock said bar member in an inclined rear operating position of said handle.

2. A floor machine comprising a housing, an axle mounted on the rear of said housing, a machine operating handle, means for pivotally connecting said handle to said housing forwardly of said axle for movement about a horizontal axis parallel to said axle, a bar member on said handle extending parallel to said axle, and a latch member pivotally mounted on said axle at a position laterally offset from the plane of movement of said handle and having its forward end arranged to abut said bar member in a substantially upright forward storage position of said handle and a recessed portion in its lower surface arranged to receive and lock said bar member in an inclined rear operating position of said handle.

3. In a floor surfacing machine comprising a housing enclosing a rotary floor surfacing element, an axle fixedly mounted on the rear of said housing, a pair of supporting wheels mounted on said axle, a machine operating handle, means for pivotally connecting said handle to said housin g forwardly of said axle for movement about a horizontal axis parallel to said axle, a bar member on said handle extending parallel to saidaxle, a latch member pivotally mounted on said axle and arranged to abuttingly engage said barin a substantially upright forward storage position and having other means arranged to engage said bar member to lock said handle in an inclined rear operating position, and a handle clamping assembly pivotally mounted on said axle.

4. In a floor surfacing machine comprising a housing enclosing a rotary floor surfacing element, an axle fixedly mounted on the rear of said housing, a pair of supporting wheels mounted on said axle, a machine operating handle, means for pivotally connecting said handle to said housing forwardly of said axle for movement about a horizontal axis parallel to said axle, a bar member on said handle extending parallel to said axle, a pivotally mounted latch member having its forward end arranged to abut said bar member in a substantially upright forward storage position of said handle and a recessed portion in its lower surface arranged to receive and lock said bar memberin an inclined rear operating position of said handle, and a handle-clamping assembly pivotally mounted on said axle.

5. A floor machine comprising a housing, an axle fixedly mounted on the rear of said housing, a machine operating handle, means for pivotally connecting said handle to said housing forwardly of said axle for movement about a horizontal axis parallel to said axle, a bar member on said handle extending parallel to said axle, a latch member pivotally mounted on said axle and having its forward end arranged to abut said bar member in a substantially upright forward storage position of said handle and a recessed portion in its lower surface arranged to receive and locked said bar member in an inclined rear operating position of said handle, and a handle-clamping assembly pivotally mounted on said axle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,763,365 Nobbs June 10, 1930 2,202,979 Becker June 4, 1940 2,214,855 Helm-Hansen Sept. 17, 1940 2,226,362 White Dec. 24, 1940 2,318,960 Okun May 11, 1943 2,576,727 Segesman Nov. 27, 1951 2,618,798 Ohrt Nov. 25, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 900,273 France Sept. 25, 1944 

